Gulf Arab nations have made it clear that they never asked the United States to go to war with Iran. However, many now caution that halting the conflict midway could leave the Islamic Republic in a position to threaten the Gulf’s vital oil shipping routes and the economies dependent on them, three Gulf sources told Reuters.
“There is a wide feeling across the Gulf that Iran has crossed every red line with every Gulf country,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center. “At first we defended them and opposed the war. But once they began directing strikes at us, they became an enemy. There is no other way to classify them.”
Hitting airports, ports, oil facilities, and commercial centres in the six Gulf countries with missiles and drones, Tehran has already showcased its capabilities, while disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil.
Now, the Gulf nations have warned that in case US leaves before the task is finished, the region will be left to deal with Iran alone.
"If the Americans pull out before the task is complete, we’ll be left to confront Iran on our own,” Sager said.
These attacks have reinforced fears that leaving Iran with significant military or arms-production capabilities would allow it to hold the region’s energy supply hostage. As the war has entered its third week, with US and Israeli airstrikes intensifying and Iran targeting US bases and civilian sites, Gulf leaders reportedly believe that Trump must take action to seriously degrade Iran’s military power. “The alternative is living under constant threat,” said a Gulf source.
Meanwhile, US officials are urging Gulf states to back the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign. According to the sources, US President Donald Trump is seeking regional support to bolster both the international legitimacy of the operation and its domestic backing.
Predominantly Shi’ite Iran has long viewed Sunni Gulf neighbours with suspicion, though relations with Qatar and Oman have been less strained. Over the years, Iran and its allies have faced accusations of attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, including the 2019 strike on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, which Iran denied.
For Gulf states, inaction is now seen as the greater risk. The UAE has stated it “does not seek to be drawn into conflicts or escalation” but reserves the right to protect its sovereignty and residents. Unilateral military action by any Gulf country remains unlikely, leaders prefer collective measures to reduce the risk of retaliation.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, has held only one Zoom call, and no summit has been convened to plan a coordinated response. Leaders are cautious of triggering a wider conflict.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Gulf partners are “stepping up even more” and are willing to “go on the offense,” working on collective air defence, though details remain unspecified. A senior UAE official said the country has exercised restraint, following Iran’s claim that US forces used UAE territory to strike Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal.
Sager noted that Saudi Arabia may be forced to retaliate if Iran crosses red lines, such as attacking major oil facilities, desalination plants, or causing heavy casualties. “In that case, Saudi Arabia would have no choice but to intervene,” he said, while adding Riyadh would aim to manage its response carefully.
Analyst Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics said Gulf states face a delicate balance: addressing the immediate threat of Iranian attacks while avoiding involvement in a US-Israeli-led war. Joining the campaign could increase their exposure to Iranian reprisals while adding little to US military superiority. The result is a strategy of calculated restraint: signalling red lines and defending sovereignty without entering a conflict they did not start.
Iran’s control over which ships can pass through the Strait of Hormuz has revealed its leverage.
“Now that Iran has shown it can shut down Hormuz, the Gulf faces a fundamentally different threat,” Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University told Reuters. While Trump has called for an international coalition to reopen the waterway, Haykel noted that much of the Gulf’s oil flows to China, Japan, and other Asian countries, which may also need to play a role.